I’ve used the PlasmaCAM table a couple of times in the past few weeks and I noticed that I cannot get my material to lay flat, due to the stanchions being eaten away over more than half of the grid surface. I also noticed that the stanchion grid appears to be flippable. Is this something that needs to be cleared with or performed by someone in Metal shop administration?
Also, I was wondering why the table is not oriented for indexing material. As it is oriented now, the back of the machine is facing the wall, so no material can be indexed across the usable surface. Does this have something to do with the way the exhaust system is set up? Was there another reason?
If I have posted this in the incorrect area, please feel free to move the posting to the appropriate forum.
You posted this in precisely the right spot.
Although nobody would probably have an issue with the stanchions being ‘do-ocracied’, thank you for asking. Realise, my opinion is “just another member”.
I’d suggest seeing if we can work on this “metal shop maintenance day”, and do it then.
of course, if that proves too slow in forming, or for some other reason you just want to “git’r done”, I personally would like to have it blessed by Chuck Graf (@dallasmagna ) as the Chair, or Tim Bene (@TBJK )as “the guy who gits it done” before I embarked, but that’s entirely up to you.
Maybe one or both of them will weigh in on this thread (or the maintenance one) if they have a strong opinion.
I’m unclear on what you’re asking about indexing. I assume this applies to material that is too long for the table, and that you can’t hang it off both sides? I’m guessing no one thought of that up until you asked. You CAN still do this by hanging it off the side that IS open, and then flipping around… I think @zmetzing did something like this when he helped @TLAR cut a sign, or something… Memory’s a bit hazy on that. Maybe they’ll ring in…
You can index, I’ve done this several times. I have let material hang off both ends & do cuts that need to be moved around. We are going to be doing the maintenance next month, we may have to flip the supports before then though. Which also reminds me that I need to call Plasmacam about some parts.
Yes, this is regarding material which is too large for the cutting area. Although rotating the sheet 180º could be performed as an alternative to indexing, true indexing generally uses one side of the material pressed up against the material stops during the entirety of cuts, then the sheet is slid along that same same edge until the uncut material is on the table and a the cuts can be continued.
You are limited due to the wall - the piece I cut was 48" wide and 60" long - just enough to clear the wall when repositioned to continue the cut on the last 10" to 12". My cut was a continuous line cutout about 56" long (not smaller repetitive pieces).
Ideally the the cutter would be positioned 90 degrees of where it is so that one could accommodate longer pieces in a continuous feed situation if needed.
What I was eluding to is you could likely do a 4x10. You would make reference cuts then breaks in the drawing. Then you would turn the material 180 degrees, turn your drawing 180 degrees then align to the reference cuts.
